BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Jamie Borthwick made huge sacrifice as he breaks silence

Strictly Come Dancing’s Jamie Borthwick has had to forfeit some precious things in his life to take part in the BBC talent show and manage his day job on EastEnders too

It’s all work, work work for EastEnders actor and Strictly star Jamie Borthwick who has revealed he is "gutted" over having to give up an important aspect of his week.

Jamie Borthwick has played the role of EastEnders Jay Brown since 2006 when both the rising talent and the beloved character were young lads. Fans of the BBC soap have seen him go from being a troublesome teenager to the devoted husband of his dying wife Lola. The 30-year-old actor is currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing where he’s been impressing viewers and judges with his moves in the ballroom. He’s taken to his new role with pro dancer Michelle Tsiakkas so well he’s even been at the centre of a ‘fix’ row when he was named as a contender to lift the Glitterball Trophy in the early stages of the competition.

There is no doubt that Jamie is a dedicated individual who is putting in all the hours to perfect his routines each week. But he also remains totally committed to his day job on Albert Square and revealed at the start of Strictly that he had no plans to stop filming the soap. "I'm not taking a break. I'm still there, so I'm doing both shows," he said. "But we're lucky [that] EastEnders [is] literally just over the road. I [don't have] far to go." Obviously his gruelling double schedule has meant that he’s had to make huge sacrifices in his personal life and give up his free time, which he’s felt deeply.

"I’m still there, powering through, I’ve just kind of budgeted for the next however long I’m going to be really busy, and I’ve just had to let all the social events go, gutted that I can’t go out every week," he shared. "But I'm used to it all, really," he added. "I've been doing it a long time. So there's nothing that scares me."

Despite his social life being decimated, Jamie adores the graft and got a taste of the Strictly work ethic when he took part in and won the Christmas special last year alongside Nancy Xu. "I originally got asked to do the show in 2018 I think, but it never happened. And then I got asked to do the Christmas show, which I loved," he said. "It was that that led me to do the main show. For me. It was just like, it’s the people, like, when I do a job, it’s not, it’s not what I’m doing. It’s the people I’m working on. It’s really important."

Thanks to his success each week it doesn’t look like Jamie will be heading out with his mates any time soon either. "The reality of doing the main show has hit me like a ton of bricks," he revealed. "I'm going to bed counting steps, it's always on my brain."

Judge Anton Du Beke reckons he’s going to be in the show for a while yet too and is definitely a contender to bag the coveted Glitterball. "Jamie must be in the mix to win," he said after his performance of the quickstep dressed as Elton John. "You know you really are a super super dancer. I think you could be one of the favourites to lift the trophy to be quite honest with you. I think you are an exceptional talent."

Who do you think will win Strictly this year? Let us know in the comments below.